This interview is dedicated to every woman who personally struggles every day at home, in the field, in the factory…These are the First Ladies.
«The multi-faceted and demanding roles that women conscientiously and usually efficiently serve on a daily basis enable them to grow richer in skills that eventually result to the solving many problems. A woman’s perspective involves a different kind of aesthetics, another sort of approach to things, a fact that surely reinforces the collective endeavor on behalf of the prefecture of Lasithi in order to promote issues regarding the progress and development of our prefecture», underlines in an interview to «In-On» magazine the vice-prefect of Lasithi Mrs. Maria Pratsini.
Besides -she stressed- when sensitivity, humanism, offering and selflessness that characterize woman’s nature, are transferred through women’s participation to public affairs, there is only gain for the society. When, in particular, there are people around you, namely your colleagues, who, believe and exploit through their choices these special skills, then you have the great chance to «color» politics with more humanity and sensitivity. This is considered luck for me and I wholeheartedly thank the people who have supported me, especially the prefect Mr. Anastasakis, who entrusted such an important position to a woman for the first time in the prefecture of Lasithi. This mutual trust between men and women reinforces democracy making it more responsible and efficient.
I believe and strongly agree -she clarifies- on the notion that when women participate in decision making they largely contribute to it with their different experiences and ideas resulting in the whole society taking advantage of it.
Thus, in a special ceremony held by the prefecture of Lasithi for the local survivors of the Albanian front last March, the feminine outlook contributed positively to the final result.
More particularly, she said that «Crete has sacrificed its youth for the cause of freedom and independence during the war in Albania. And how else this would have happened since the passion and love for freedom flows in the Cretans blood. The unconquered Cretan soul has always been sympathetic towards the suffering of our country. The fighting spirit and the self-sacrifice of the 5th Division, however, which was a mainly Cretan unit distinguished in the battle on Mount. Trebesina and Kleisoura, is widely-known.
Thousands of Cretans heroically fought in the Albanian front. 1435 Cretan fighters, among them 206 from Lasithi, a remarkable proportion for our prefecture, fell in the battlefield, giving their blood and sacrifice as well, to this unequal combat. And then, most Cretans were excluded in the mainland and Crete remained undefended resulting in disastrous consequences regarding the Battle of Crete, despite the renowned self-sacrifice of those who were in the island.
The prefect of Lasithi Mr. Sifis Athanasakis in cooperation with the Lasithian undersecretary of National Defense Mr.Giannis Plakiotakis honored in a special and emotional ceremony under the auspices of the prefecture Local Authority of Lasithi last March, the survivors from Lasithi that retuned from the Albanian front. Realizing during the preparations how difficult it was to spot all the living veterans, the prefect announced the intention of the Local Authorities of Lasithi to proceed to the recording and publication of the records that synthesize the participation of our prefecture concerning human beings in the Greek-Italian war, registering in this way important evidence. Rekindling historical memory, we light the present and signify the future, we resist oblivion but we are taught from the mistakes of the past».
CURRICULUM VITAE
She was born in 1968. She grew up at Lasithi plateau, where she spent her school years. She graduated from the Teachers’ Training College of Herakleion and the Department of Primary Education in the University of Ioannina. She has worked in many local Mass Media and has been a columnist until today in the newspaper «ANATOLI». In 1997 she was appointed in the prefecture of Lasithi for a permanent post in the 2ο Primary School of St. Nicholas. Since 2001, she has been detached in the Primary Education Headquarters responsible for Environmental Education. From this position, she organized and realized teacher training seminars, as well as various actions in order to sensitize the educational community and local society regarding environmental issues. In 2005, she was detached as substitute in charge of the newly-established Center of Environmental Education in Neapoli. She has attended long-hour seminars regarding educational, environmental issues as well as journalism. She is the vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Teachers of Primary Education of Merambellou- Plateau, secretary of the Association of the Friends of Higher Educational Institutions of St. Nicholas prefecture, member of the cleanliness committee of St. Nicholas prefecture etc. In 2006, she was elected as a counselor in Lasithi prefecture. She is the president of Education and Culture Committee of the prefecture Council. Since January, she has been appointed as a vice-prefect of Technical Works and Substructure.